Rockfall Environmental Book Club
2026-05-12 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, CT, 06457
The Rockfall Environmental Book Club meets every other month at the historic deKoven House in Middletown to read and talk about books on nature, climate, ecology, and sustainability. It’s a chance to learn together, share ideas, and connect with others who care about the environment. All are welcome—no RSVP required, and don’t worry if you haven’t finished the book. Just bring your curiosity and join the conversation.
Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 12th at 6 pm at the deKoven House (27 Washington Street, Middletown). We’ll be discussing Beaverland: How One Weird Rodent Made America by Leila Phillip. An intimate and revelatory dive into the world of the beaver—the wonderfully weird rodent that has surprisingly shaped American history and may save its ecological future.
From award-winning writer Leila Philip, Beaverland is a masterful work of narrative science writing, a book that highlights, though history and contemporary storytelling, how this weird rodent plays an oversized role in American history and its future. She follows fur trappers who lead her through waist high water, fur traders and fur auctioneers, as well as wildlife managers, PETA activists, Native American environmental vigilantes, scientists, engineers, and the colorful group of activists known as beaver believers.
Beginning with the early trans-Atlantic trade in North America, Leila Philip traces the beaver’s profound influence on our nation’s early economy and feverish western expansion, its first corporations and multi-millionaires. In her pursuit of this weird and wonderful animal, she introduces us to people whose lives are devoted to the beaver, including a Harvard scientist from the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, who uses drones to create 3-dimensional images of beaver dams; and an environmental restoration consultant in the Chesapeake whose nickname is the “beaver whisperer”.
What emerges is a poignant personal narrative, a startling portrait of the secretive world of the contemporary fur trade, and an engrossing ecological and historical investigation of these heroic animals who, once trapped to the point of extinction, have returned to the landscape as one of the greatest conservation stories of the 20th century. Beautifully written and impeccably researched, Beaverland reveals the profound ways in which one odd creature and the trade surrounding it has shaped history, culture, and our environment.
The New York Times Editors’ Choice “This lyrical exploration is a portal for readers to enter into the mysteries of that world themselves.”―The Washington Post
“Lyrically written, meticulously observed, and exhaustively researched, BEAVERLAND is going to break your heart—and then heal it with compassion, beauty, and wonder.”―Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus
“We can’t have enough books about this wonderful creature–and this one is particularly strong on the remarkable history of the animal in our continent’s history and imagination. A loud slap of the tail in approval!“―Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature
“BEAVERLAND is wonderful, captivating, and illuminating. I learned so much — about natural history, business history, the world of today’s fur trappers, and the role of a large, strange rodent in America’s ecological future. Leila Philip is a skilled and engaging guide through this beaver-influenced terrain.“―James Fallows, co-author of Our Towns
“Before the Anthropocene we had the Casterocene: a North American environment profoundly shaped by millions of beavers. In BEAVERLAND, Leila Philip takes us on a fascinating tour of the beaver’s effect on human history, and how, after its near extinction, we need to bring this rodent back for the sake of our ecosystems.”―Frans de Waal, author of Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist (Norton, 2022)
“BEAVERLAND may be the best-realized book about an American animal in years. A work of open-hearted discovery. Can returning beavers and their works save our future? However you answer that, this fine book is going to re-arrange the furniture in your head.” ―Dan Flores, New York Times bestselling author of Coyote America

Invasive Plants Removal Workshop
2026-05-16 09:30 - 12:00 | Rockfall Forest via Memorial Middle School Parking Lot, 124 Hubbard St, Middlefield, CT, 06455, United States
Join The Rockfall Foundation, Middlesex Land Trust, and Swamp Yankee Earthcare on Saturday, May 16th at 9:30 am for an educational invasive plants workshop!
Learn how to identify and remove invasive species such as multiflora rose, barberry, bittersweet, mugwort, Japanese knotweed, and burning bush. After a brief demonstration, we’ll head into the Rockfall Forest to get hands-on experience removing these plants.
Location: Memorial Middle School, Middlefield (124 Hubbard St), behind the tennis courts.What to bring: Closed-toe shoes, work gloves, clippers, loppers, or other tools. Some tools will be available to borrow.Rain date: Sunday, May 17th
Registration is preferred but not required.
Register here

Meet Your Greens: Connecticut Land Conservation Policy Update with Amy Blaymore Paterson
2026-05-21 17:30 - 19:30 | The Tavern at the Armory, 70 Main St, Middletown, 06457, United States
About the Presentation
Following the 2026 legislative session, Amy will provide an overview of Connecticut’s 2026 environmental and land conservation priorities: what advanced, what stalled, and what it all means for the future of open space, climate resilience, and community-based conservation. Drawing on her extensive experience in policy, law, and on-the-ground conservation work, she’ll cover the most important developments affecting land trusts and environmental efforts across the state.
About the Speaker
Amy Blaymore Paterson has served as the first Executive Director of the Connecticut Land Conservation Council (CLCC), CLCC is the only statewide service provider and voice for all Connecticut land trusts. CLCC is a leader in advocacy and policy, education and training, and technical and financial assistance to empower Connecticut’s land trusts and ensure the long-term viability of land conservation efforts in the state. Under Amy’s guidance, CLCC has grown into one of the most influential land trust service organizations in the nation.
Amy collaborates closely with the CLCC Board of Directors and a dynamic staff to provide essential technical and financial assistance, networking and educational opportunities, and advocacy for the Connecticut land conservation community, driving forward the mission of permanent land conservation across the state.
Before her tenure at CLCC, Amy was a Project Manager at The Trust for Public Land, where she managed complex conservation transactions. Her extensive background in law, with a focus on land conservation and environmental protection, includes over 20 years of experience as an attorney, including a tenure with the U.S. Department of Justice. Amy holds a BA from Franklin & Marshall College and a law degree from the University of Denver.
Amy’s contributions to conservation have been widely recognized. In 2014, she received the Women Inspiring Conservation in Connecticut Award from Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, sponsored by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Farm Service Agency, and the Connecticut Association of Conservation Districts. She was also honored with the Rockfall Foundation’s President’s Award in 2015, the Linda B. Krause Award for Excellence in Conservation Collaboration from the Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development in 2023, and the CT League of Conservation Voters 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Amy serves as Chair of the State of Connecticut Natural Heritage, Open Space, and Watershed Land Acquisition Review Board, a role she has held since 2018. She has participated in various other influential committees, including the Forests Subgroup of the Governor’s Council on Climate Change Working and Natural Lands Working Group, the Policy on Resilient Forests for Connecticut’s Future (PRFCT Future) Working Group, the Connecticut Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan Advisory Council, and U.S. Senator Chris Murphy’s Land Conservation Advisory Committee. She is a Steering Committee member for the Working Lands Alliance and serves on the boards of the Keney Park Sustainability Project and Creative Living Community of Connecticut.
All are welcome to attend. Admission is free.
Registration is preferred, but not required. Register here.

Guided Spring Bird Walk at Haddam Meadows
2026-05-23 08:00 - 12:00 | Haddam Meadows State Park, Haddam, CT, 06438
Join Anthony Zemba, Sr. Ecologist with LANDTECH, and Rockfall Foundation Board member for a morning Bird Walk at Haddam Meadows on Saturday, May 23rd. We will meet at the parking lot at the entrance of the park (the parking lot is on the left as soon as you enter the park and cross the railroad tracks) at 8:00 AM.
From there, we will walk south along the edge of the wooded wetland on the west side of the open meadow field. We will be looking for Spring migrants and breeding resident birds among the park’s varied habitats, which include a forested swamp, a scrub/shrub swamp, a pond, the CT River and its associated freshwater tidal emergent wetlands, and open meadows. We will walk about a 2-mile loop on open, flat terrain. But wear sturdy shoes that you don’t mind getting wet (but we will try to avoid walking in wet areas), and protect yourself from ticks.
A steady rain will postpone the trip, so monitor the weather and the Rockfall’s website for forecasts.
📅 Date: Saturday, May 23rd | Rain Date: Sunday, May 24th
🕙 Time: 8:00 am – 12 pm (With the option to stay longer)
📍 Location: Meet at the parking lot at the entrance, Haddam Meadows State Park
🔭 Limited to 25 participants

Admission: This event is free for Rockfall Foundation members and a $5 donation fee for non-members.
✅ Rockfall Foundation Members (Free Registration)
💳 Non-Members ($5 Donation Fee, paid in cash at the event)

Register Here

Repair Café at the deKoven House Community Center
2026-06-13 12:00 - 15:00 | deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, Middletown, CT, 06457
The Rockfall Foundation, in cooperation with City of Middletown Recycling & Public Works, Reboot Eco, and Mr. Fix This! will be hosting a Repair Café on Saturday, June 13 from 12-3pm, at the deKoven House Community Center in Middletown.
Skilled volunteers will help fix and teach you how to fix your things—saving you money and keeping items working and out of the garbage. Tool use and help are free. Participants are responsible for obtaining any necessary replacement parts.
Have a skill to offer? To volunteer, call 860-347-0340 or email jenna@rockfallfoundation.org
